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Man dies at Sappi paper mill in Cloquet

Authorities are investigating the death of a worker at the Sappi paper and pulp mill in Cloquet on Tuesday.

“We are shocked and saddened to confirm the death of Mr. Ryan Martin,” corporate spokeswoman Olga Karagiannis wrote in an email Wednesday. “Sappi is investigating and working with authorities to understand the cause of death.”

Cloquet police and fire crews were called to the mill just before 5 p.m. Tuesday on the report of a man down, according to a statement from police. The 53-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry spokesman James Honerman told the News Tribune that an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator was sent to the mill Wednesday to review the circumstances. He said he did not immediately have any further information.

Police said an autopsy would be performed to determine a cause of death.

The Cloquet mill last had a fatality in 2003, when 47-year-old Kerry Roe died while doing maintenance work on electrical equipment in the finishing department. Sappi later paid a $50,000 fine under an OSHA settlement.